This invention concerns a container device, and more particularly relates to a re-usable thermally insulative container adapted to accommodate a single beverage-containing long-necked bottle.
Beverages such as soda pop, beer, juices, and some wines are generally intended to be consumed in a cooled state, and are usually packaged in long-necked bottles carrying a single normal serving of the beverage. Once the bottle is opened, its contents are consumed, and the empty bottle is discarded.
Although the beverage bottles may be kept cold in large refrigerated compartments or in ice chests, the bottles soon become warm upon removal from such cooling enclosures. It is of considerable interest therefore to be able to prolong the duration of time a bottled beverage will stay cold following its removal from a cooling source.
Several devices have earlier been reported for maintaining a single beverage bottle at a low temperature. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,520 to Norwood describes two half shells which strap around a bottle. Coolant is circulated through the half shells to maintain the bottle at a low temperature. U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,319 to Buddrus discloses a thermally insulative container of fixed size comprising a lower member in which a bottle is seated, and a threaded closure cap interactive with the upper extremity of the lower member. Although the Buddrus device appears to be effective in principle, the container appears to be of considerable size, and engenders the inconvenience of having to separately handle the lower member and closure cap before gaining access to the beverage bottle with its own closure cap.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a thermally insulative container of small size for accommodating a single long-necked beverage bottle.
It is another object of this invention to provide a container as in the foregoing object which enables liquid to be directly dispensed from the bottle.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a container of the aforesaid nature capable of adjustment to accommodate bottles of different sizes.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a thermally insulative container of the aforementioned characteristics of simple and rugged construction which may be economically manufactured.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.